Undocumented Immigrant Charged After Staging Fake ICE Kidnapping in Los Angeles

Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, a 41-year-old undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles, was charged by the Department of Justice with conspiracy and making false statements after allegedly faking her kidnapping by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to solicit donations. Her family held a press conference claiming she was abducted at gunpoint by masked men at a Jack in the Box parking lot and taken to the U.S.-Mexico border, where she was pressured to sign self-deportation papers and punished when she refused. The family also set up a GoFundMe campaign seeking $4,500, portraying Calderon as a devoted mother and caregiver. Federal authorities uncovered video surveillance and phone records proving the kidnapping was fabricated, and Calderon was found at a Bakersfield mall, never actually in ICE custody. Prosecutors condemned the hoax as a well-orchestrated conspiracy meant to discredit federal agents and emphasized that those involved will face the full consequences of their actions. The case has unfolded amid ongoing criticism of President Donald Trump's immigration policies and enforcement actions nationwide.